nikon 85mm f1.8
the day i arrived in malaysia i dumped my gear at the hotel and headed across town. my destination was the local tech mall, where i went in search of a lens i’d been wanting to buy – the nikon 85mm f1.8 prime.
since i started traveling full time, i’d been carrying three lenses: 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 superzoom, 35mm f2 prime, 11-16mm f2.8 ultra wide angle. in the 10 months of my journeys i had come to realise that i was not using the wide angle lens at all. it is a great lens, and very sharp for a third party lens, but i just didn’t get any chances to use it. i had also realised how much i was enjoying portrait photography.
so i made a decision – get a specialty portrait lens.
i bought the lens, paying consumer prices (damnit!) … i’d had things too good in korea … and yesterday i posted the wide angle lens to christina in korea. she’ll sell the wide angle for me (getting a better price than i would have got in malaysia).
now i still have three lenses, two of which are primes. the 35mm will probably be relegated to ‘not often used’ status, but it’s a very small lens and it’s ridiculously sharp. the 85mm is a touch faster and will get me closer to my subjects without scaring them off. lol
after using the lens for a few days, i’m very happy with it. rendition is nice and images are very sharp. i’m happy with the lens and i’m looking forward to doing some intensive portrait work with it.
in other camera news, i dropped my camera a few times and have broken the casing. the camera case is metal, but i’ve managed to crack it around the battery housing. this means that the battery doesn’t always fit snuggly … it’s becoming a pain in the arse! what i might have to do is get in contact with a korean friend who is holding a big bag of my stuff and ask him to send me the battery pack that i have to fit the D200. i don’t like carrying it when i travel, because it makes the camera bigger, heavier and more “obvious” to potential thieves. however, the pack will also hold the bottom of the camera together … which is my biggest concern at the moment. damnit!!
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